Teachers union warns of state funding cuts under Coalition

A quarter of government schools could be converted into “independent public schools" under a Coalition government.

Opposition Leader
Tony Abbott
announced a $70 million fund on Thursday to roll out the initiative. But Mr Abbott will not commit funding to the final two years of Labor’s Better Schools plan. The teachers’ union is warning he will allow state governments to cut education budgets while accepting federal money with no strings attached.

“There will be no cut to school funding under a Coalition government," the opposition’s education policy document said. “If elected, the Australian Education Act will be amended to remove any parts that allow the federal government to dictate what states and terri­tories must do in their schools.

“Independent public schools remain as state government schools, but the way in which the schools are run more closely resembles that of a non-government independent school."

Australian Education Union chief
Angelo Gavrielatos
said states would have to rip money from their own budgets to accept the Gonski changes.

“One of the conditions of the national education reform agreement under Labor is that states must not only co-contribute one-third of the funding required, but must also maintain their education budgets and grow them at 3 per cent per year," he said.

“It’s no surprise, therefore, that states which have not signed up are proceeding with cut agendas."

For example, Western Australia announced in its state budget last week that 500 jobs would be cut from education.